Times of Trenton Letters to the Editor - March 18

Parade was great, then traffic was awful

I commend the township of Hamilton for the great Saint Patrick’s Day parade. I must say it was the most impressive one yet. There were numerous string bands, floats, high school bands, sports teams, as well as military, fire and police representation. The weather was really nice and everyone had a good time. This parade has improved every year.

Sorry to say that, after the parade, traffic was a mess. Route 33 was totally jammed up and it took almost 40 minutes to get from Yardville-Hamilton Square Road down Route 33 to most of the businesses. I believe this traffic could have been alleviated if there had been a police presence directing traffic or controlling the traffic lights.

It was just a wonderful parade, but something should be done to help with the traffic.

-- Mario Janaitis,
Hamilton

GOP intent on going backward

I read with interest Stephen Seufert’s guest opinion article praising the work of the Works Progress Administration. He might also have added the Civilian Conservation Corps in that article. There are very good reasons why we will not see its like again.
The first is that, since President Nixon, the Republican Party has been fixated on returning us to the so-called “Golden Age” of the 1890s, when there were no unions, the hourly wage was measured in pennies rather than dollars and a “settlement house” (where there was one) looked after the poor. The party has divided us by using race, abortion, welfare, gun rights, voting rights, immigration and on and on, thus preventing us from recognizing and countering their efforts
The second is a bit more complicated, whether because he has interrupted and resisted their “march to the past” or because of his skin color, they have decided to have the current president of the United States go down into the history books as a failure. They have never hidden that fact, a decision that was made the day after the 2008election and announced by the Senate minority leader.
Everyone has heard of FDR precisely for what he did in establishing the CCC and the WPA. The Republicans do not intend to let such a thing happen again, regardless of the impact on the American people. This is evidenced by the speaker of the house denouncing governors who take action to reverse cutting food stamps and accusing them of “cheating” when they are following the laws of this country.
-- Edward Squibb,
Trenton

Punish illegal gun toters while protecting gun rights

It’s about time someone introduced a bill on gun control that makes good sense.
In response to New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora’s letter to the editor “First-time gun thieves would go to prison” (March 16), I believe A2916 is a step in the right direction, without infringing on the rights of legal gun owners and imprisoning the ones that aren’t.

I commend Assemblyman Gusciora’s approach and his vision to accept the fact that law-abiding gun owners aren’t walking around with stolen guns, but the criminals are. Limiting rounds in a clip is not the answer, as some New Jersey lawmakers would have us think. Criminals will always have access to illegal guns and clips. All this will do is place legal gun owners in danger and inconvenience us on the shooting range.

It’s time for state lawmakers to read the statistics. According to committee reports from the 112th Congress (2011-2012), House Report 112-277, FBI data conclude that right-to-carry states have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates. Maybe someday New Jersey will allow us to legally carry for self-protection.
I’m urging all our lawmakers to pass A2916 and concentrate on laws that hurt and punish illegal gun owners and stop encroaching on our right to bear arms.

-- Tony Di Stephano Jr.,
Hamilton

Not all professions pay women less

In the March 16 guest opinion column by Rep. Rush Holt, “Remove workplace obstacles for women,” he makes the statement “Women earn on average 77 cents for every dollar a man makes for the exact same work.” Unfortunately, by adding “for the exact same work” to the listed statistic, he promulgates the myth that there is rampant gender salary discrimination in the work force.

In my profession, engineering, there is no separate pay scale for men or women and the starting salaries for new graduates are the same. Further, some high-performing women make more than men and some high-performing men make more than women and other men. Keep in mind that, in spite of years of outreach, men still outnumber women in this lucrative field by roughly 5 to 1.

In the teaching profession, there is no separate salary scale for men and women, just years of experience and education applied to a salary guide. Women outnumber men in this profession by a 3-to-1 ratio. I suspect that Rep. Holt embraces equal pay for equal work in his own office independent of gender, race or religion. The minimum wage is the same, irrespective of gender. I could go on, but you get the point.

The 77-cents-to-the-dollar statistic exists because it does not account for earnings across different professions, some dominated by men and others dominated by women, not salary discrimination for those with equal experience doing the same work.

-- Paul Hunter,
Robbinsville

The Fed’s Yellen shows what women can do

Women’s History Month is an opportunity to celebrate and appreciate women’s achievements and their changing status in economy, politics and society. In that spirit, the appointment of Janet Yellen as the new chair of the Federal Reserve Board by President Barack Obama deserves recognition.

Ms. Yellen is regarded as the most powerful woman in the world. She is the first woman to hold that important position.

She brings impressive credentials and experience to the post. They include being a well-respected economist, professor and former vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board.

Ms. Yellen clearly understands her role and its impact on America. She has said that her priority is putting the middle class first. Her strong record and expertise in economics is what our country needs right now. In creating opportunities and prosperity for Main Street, she will help move our nation forward.

As we know, working families and middle-class citizens need attention, especially during this challenging economy.

Fed Chair Yellen’s work and decisions will help everyone pursue the American dream.

This is a special time to celebrate her appointment.

-- Eileen P. Thornton,
Hamilton
The writer is former president of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey.